(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel therapeutic use of N-[[5-(trifluoromethyl)-6-methoxy-1-naphthenyl]-thioxomethyl]-N-methylglyc ine. More specifically this invention relates to a method for the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease in a diabetic human.
(b) Prior Art
The active agent of this invention, N-[[5-(trifluoromethyl)-6-methoxy-1-naphthenyl]-thioxomethyl]-N-methylglyc ine or a therapeutically acceptable salt thereof, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,693, issued Feb. 4, 1986. This active agent, hereinafter designated by its generic name tolrestat, previously has been reported to be useful in preventing or relieving diabetic complications such as cataracts, neuropathy, nephropathy and retinopathy (See U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,693). We have now found unexpectedly that tolrestat, either in its free acid form or in its therapeutically acceptable salt form, is useful in the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease in diabetic patients, including alveolar bone loss. This finding, coupled with the fact that tolrestat is a relatively safe drug, renders the method of this invention particularly useful and advantageous.